


Fuel and Fire

by spiderlillium



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-15
Updated: 2014-05-15
Packaged: 2018-01-24 22:14:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1618865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spiderlillium/pseuds/spiderlillium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In this world of variables, you and I remain constant.</p><p>| DISCONTINUED |</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Insight

I wonder, do you ever think about life after death?

Because I do, all the time.

I scour books upon books for the answer, ask questions to everyone I meet, but the answers I gather are not satisfactory. Nothing is definite. If I had the chance I would have asked a dead man myself, but of course, that is impossible.

You would laugh at me if I told you all of this. You'd tell me that I am too curious for my own good. But it isn't really curiosity that drives me to ask this question. It is fear.

It is in the human nature to be afraid of what he cannot understand; like the pitch black darkness of the night or like the monstrous giants we fight and kill. Once the mind understands, everything will follow: fear is only a door you have to open to realize that there are no real monsters lurking in the dark and that titans are just humans like us, hiding in the hide of a giant.

But death is different from those. I do not know what lies beyond it – that is why I am scared of it.

I am scared of dying, Levi. I am _so_ terrified.

It is primal, this fear I have. It is so raw and overwhelming that it makes my knees wobble and my hands shake and my stomach churn in the most disturbing way. Lost were the days when I was ready to throw my life away for a single kill – for the thrill. Anger had become the wall to keep fear at bay, but as we know, not all barriers last for long. Then, Hope became the driving force in me – became the form of courage to drive me to battle while donning the cloak that bore the wings of freedom.

But even Hope cannot defeat my fear of death.

I know that it will hurt. If I die in the jaws of a titan, it will be quick. If I die by the acid of it's stomach, it will be excruciatingly slow. But if I die by your side, I wouldn't be able to take it. I am a soldier and to die for humanity's sake is an honor, but in your presence I would abandon _all._ I will become desperate enough to cling to the remaining strings that is holding me to mortality to be with you – and it will hurt _so much_ _more,_ because I know I can't hold on forever.

Then, it'll be over. I will never see you again. I will never be able to exchange those shitty jokes with you, ever again. I will never be able to greet you in the morning, or tease you about your cleaning habits, or disturb you in the dead of night just to talk to you. Or will I?

Sometimes I like to think that there are many other worlds. When one life ends, it is reborn into another universe, and in each and every one of these verses, you and I exist, both different and the same. Perhaps in one there are no titans to kill. Perhaps in another you and I are not soldiers. Maybe in a distant world you end up marrying Petra, and I end up loving Mike instead. Wouldn't that be amazing? To have all possibilities happen at the same time... Oh, how I wish I could pick the most desirable one.

"You're thinking of something morbid again."

I never notice anything else when I am in deep thought. If a titan appeared beside me instead, I would have been eaten alive so fast. "Did I wake you up? Was I thinking aloud?"

"No. Thank fuck for that though, because I don't want to hear another dark ass theory about titans while I sleep."

I chuckle at your statement, while you shift away, turning your back at me to continue your interrupted slumber. I turn to face you, bringing my hand up to trace your name with my finger, my touch light and slow against your back.

"I was thinking about Eren's titan-shifting ability."

"If your thoughts even skirt around the idea of dissecting that poor kid, I don't want to know."

" _Ah_ – I would _never!"_

You snorted before pulling the blankets to your shoulders.

"Stop thinking already and sleep."

"I can't stop. Petra makes some really potent coffee, you know?" I move closer to you, and place a kiss at the back of your head. Your hair smells nice as ever. Sometimes I wonder if God made a mistake of making you male – because honestly, you'll be a better girl compared to me. "I can't help but think that she'll be a great wife someday."

"Why don't you go ahead and marry her then?"

"Oh, I would want to. But I'm already deeply in love with you, so maybe I'll do that in another world."

You mutter something along the lines of 'goddammit' and I laugh again – I know you don't like it when I tease you with that line. After all, you and I are not vocal. We are used to being friends for so long that showing romantic affection like that has become unneeded; awkward even.

"Good night, Levi." Rising from the bed, I dip my head to kiss you on the cheek.

"Good night." You mutter back, with eyes closed. "Don't forget to sleep."

"I won't." I smile and lie to you again. Standing up, I walk cautiously to the door, careful to not make any noise.

I feel a little guilty inside for not telling you everything, but it doesn't matter.

You don't need to know.


	2. The Last of Us - I

"I dreamed of you today."

Levi averted his gaze from the television for a brief moment, eyes landing on the tousle-haired woman before him. It wasn't rare for her to confess things to him – it was a bit of a blessing and more of a curse most of the time, since the woman doesn't know how to shut up sometimes.

"Was I handsome and dashing?" He turned back to the television, but his ears were focused on what she had to say.

"No," Zoe chuckled, one hand lifting up to rub her still sleep-glazed eyes. She hated waking up early. "You weren't. You looked terrible... You and I died."

The buzz of words and reports of some new found disease and political disputes filled the air, all but white noise to Levi's ears. Surprisingly, he didn't have a nice rebuttal to that statement.

"You were Lance Corporal, in my dream. You wore a brown jacket embroidered with half-black, half-white wings and you donned a green cloak and you carried two blades and killed off giants that ate people."

A scoff. "What T.V. show were you watching last night?"

"I studied my ass of last night," Rolling her eyes, the brunette threw a piece of cereal at him, hitting Levi on the shoulder with it before the grain fell to the kitchen counter. "It was a sad dream though. And really brutal. A lot of people died. I felt really hopeless, like it was the end of the world. I remember crying while you were picked up by a giant."

Levi took the remote and pressed the power switch, turning off the machine so that there was nothing more but silence and the patter of rain filling the air. He hated listening to the weather reports. They were always so shitty. Besides, Zoe's tale of them dying is much more interesting to listen to, even with the peculiarity of it all. "And then, what happened?"

Grinning, Zoe swirled the cereal around her bowl, drowning them further in milk. Stories, no matter how graphic, were always welcome in her book. "The giant bit off your legs, one by one, as if its showing me that its all over, that I couldn't save you – at least that's how it felt like, because I had this thing on that enabled me to go jumping from one place to another, like a machine of some sort. And I was coming for you – it knew that I was trying to save you. I was shouting your name, and I was crying, and I remember feeling angry, so, _so_ angry at that giant. And then it placed your body in it's mouth and I called you again, but I was still too far away to rescue you. You looked at me, and then – "

_You said I love you._

"Then what?" Impatient, Levi leaned closer, almost knocking his mug of still steaming coffee off the counter table.

_I told you I loved you too._

"You were eaten. I was picked up by a giant and I got eaten too. Then, I woke up." Feeling suddenly awkward, Zoe lifted her spoon up and dumped a few loads of soggy cereal into her mouth. Levi didn't have to know about those love confessions. After all, it was just a dream; she loved him like a brother and not as a lover.

"That was anti-climatic," Sighing, the man fell back to his seat, slightly disappointed. "I could have said something like 'close your eyes' or something like those fancy shit people say in the movies."

"You're not the romantic type I'm afraid." But in her mind, his voice echoes on and on – I love you, I love you, _I love you_ – and then suddenly Zoe felt like crying again, like how she cried in her dreams. It was an empty, ugly feeling, the type of emotion that punches you so hard on the gut that all air gets knocked out of your lungs and you can't breathe, and you find yourself desperate, miserable, and immobilized. Why is this emotion so familiar?

"Don't think about it," He is as quick as always, familiar to the patterns of her thinking. Zoe smiled, before swallowing the sweet mushy goodness in her mouth. Its a bit creepy, how he predicts her every move. Or is she just that predictable?

Slowly, she took another spoonful of soaked cereal, milk dripping off the metal utensil as she lifted it up. "You were a soldier in my dream. You are a soldier in this life." Breathing deeply, she brought the spoon to her lips, devouring the food without chewing it. "Perhaps in this universe, I don't have to watch you die."

That came out grimmer than she intended it to. Now, it just looked like she was guilt-tripping him. Not that she disapproved of him for enlisting to the army, but there were other jobs out there. Less dangerous. Less deadly.

"I'll come home." His voice was surprisingly mellow, for a lack of a better term. The brunette had to look back at him for this odd reply – usually Levi was the kind of person who disliked emotional conversations. Pushing his chair back, the short man walked over to her side of the table, with her still sitting on the chair. Zoe wanted to joke about how this was one of the rare times she had to look up to him rather than he to her, but found it inappropriate to make a statement like that when she has gotten him so serious. Besides, Levi hated jokes about his height.

"Come home alive," She replied, cracking a small smile at her best friend. Unexpectedly, she found herself standing up as well, arms lifting to wrap around Levi's shoulders. Soon broad hands found their place on her back, touch warm and comforting.

"When I get back, do I have to call you 'Doctor Hange'?"

"I am already a doctor, Levi."

"You're an intern."

"Shut up." She laughs and pulls away, swatting at him, and he evades, naturally. "Go get your shit and get out, soldier."

"Yes, ma'am," He mocks a salute and turns his heel, heading for his bag. Its almost time for his departure. Soon a jeep would fetch him and ship him off to battle, like all the other soldiers in the city of Shiganshina. And sooner still there will be war, and worse death, inescapable as it is. Hange remembers her dreams again, and she could only hope Fate is kinder in this world.

* * *

"Aren't you excited?"

"I will be if you would shut up."

Mike snorted at this, and plunged his hand into one of his pockets, fishing out a rather crumpled picture of a blonde woman donning a white dress that made her look like a goddess. He admired it for a while, running his thumb across the woman's face, his lips twitching into a fond smile.

"I'm gonna ask her to marry me when we come home," He says softly, eyes still affixed at the lady's face. "I even bought a ring back in Trost." Tucking away his treasured picture, he produced the said item from his pockets and held it up for his friend to see. It was a simple ring, yet the stone on it called for much attention.

Levi responded with raised eyebrows. "Don't tell me you fucking bought that ring in the middle of the war, Mike."

The blond responded with an amused grin, to which the shorter of the two replied with a soft groan. "Diamonds were really cheap at that time, you know. It was worth it."

"Yes, I heard they were. I would have bought one for my wife as well, but ah, never mind that."

Surprised eyes were met with blue, calm ones – Erwin Smith wasn't known for being nosy, but he was known for being stealthy.

"Sergeant, sir," In unison, both Privates stood up in their seats and saluted, with Mike, as tall as he is, almost slamming his head against the overhead compartment in all of his urgency.

"At ease, soldiers. We're still in a carrier plane but we're not heading towards a battlefield. No need to be so formal." This was probably one of those rare times where they have seen the Sergeant smile so familiarly – or were they just so used to seeing him serious? "So, Zakarius. Who's the lucky girl?"

Retracting his hand, Mike let a small smile out, gaze returning to the ring in his other hand. "My girlfriend of 7 years, sir. I'll be asking her once we land."

"Not wasting even a single minute, huh," Erwin patted his junior's shoulder, smile still on his lips, expression warm. He had led these men to war, and survived with them – they are his blood, his brothers. Knowing one of them would be soon stepping into a church with a girl in tow is a proud moment. "I'll kick you out of the Army if I don't get an invitation, got that?"

Mike laughed, nodding right after Erwin finished talking. "You'll be the first one to receive it, sir, I'll make sure of it."

"And what about Private Ackerman? Did you buy a ring for the woman waiting for you back home, too?"

"No sir, I didn't."

Levi was abrupt, but Mike chose to lengthen his answer for him.

"There's no ring, but there's a woman," The taller of the two blonds sent the black haired man a sideways glance, all teasing and prying. "Why don't you tell us something about your lady doctor, Ackerman?"

"She's an _intern_ , and she's my friend," Levi sent a fleeting glare at Mike, merely making the other chuckle.

"A friend... Ah, so the plot thickens," Erwin nodded, gaze falling on his co-blond, as if they shared a common secret Levi didn't know. If only the blond wasn't his superior, Levi would have punched the Sergeant by now. "I shall await further developments, then. Well now, good day to the both of you, and enjoy your vacations."

"Sure will, sir," Mike's snickers were cut short because of the sudden jab on his stomach, courtesy of his now very cranky co-Private.

"You don't know when to shut up, do you?" Sighing sharply, Levi fell back to his seat, mood souring altogether. He was never known to be the happy type, anyway.

The taller of the two tucked the precious gem back into his pocket, whilst taking his seat. His smile formed into a grin because he had been successful on pissing Levi off before their vacation. They weren't gonna see each other in a month, after all, and he was gonna miss teasing the short soldier.

"You're right, I don't."

* * *

Clickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclick –

"Doctor Hange."

Clickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclick –

"Doctor Hange!"

_Clickclickclickclickclickclick –_

"Hey, Zoe!"

"I can't take anymore patients, I'm sorry!" Dropping her penlight on the floor, Hange stood up from her seat, hands up, gesturing refusal. The receiving end of her words met her with a chuckle, before dropping the records on the chair beside her.

"You can't say that, silly." Petra rolled her eyes and bent down to pick Zoe's penlight before slipping it in the other's lab coat pocket. "Where were you? The ER is filling up! There has been an accident on Oakwood road. Some truck carrying metal pipes and a bus crashed into each other. A man even got impaled by a pipe, can you believe that? Auruo got in on that, the lucky bastard," Sighing, the ginger flipped open one record file, eyes scanning the whole thing. "He's there assisting Doctor Pixis in OR 5 while I'm here, writing admitting orders because I was 'too slow in raising my hand'. God, I _hate_ Nile Dawk."

"Petra, is it 7 A.M? Its already seven, right? My shift is ove – _fuck_ , its already fifteen minutes past seven!" Hange looked at her own watch, brown eyes burning into the hands, both ticking and not. "I'm already late!"

"What? Late for what?"

"Levi! He's coming home! His plane lands at 7 and I fucking forgot, I cannot believe this!" Throwing her hands in the air, Zoe groaned in mixed frustration and self-hate, before bolting toward their locker room, the stethoscope around her neck dropping midway in her sprint.

"Zoe, you dropped your – oh _wait_ don't leave yet! Did you finish writing down your –"

"Yeah, I finished, hours ago!" Then came a great swinging of a door, her voice soon fading out as the door closed.

* * *

He didn't know what to expect when they landed.

All of his fellow men were visibly ecstatic, visibly overjoyed. For a year they have fought the war against the rebels, and there was no greater reward than being able to come home to your loved ones alive, bearing the news of victory and peace.

Every single one of them had families. Mothers and fathers, wives and lovers. Children were definitely added into the welcoming party, since half of their platoon were fathers and mothers, too. But Levi was different; he always stood out, with his short stature and unpleasant demeanor. He had no living mother and father, nor a wife or a lover. What he had was a friend.

A friend who may never come.

Most of his co-soldiers were flocking out of the airport, all smiles and laughs, because they are truly home, now. Sergeant Smith too was already walking away with his five year-old son and his lovely wife, both clinging to him and in happy tears. Mike had already dropped the will-you-marry-me bomb and got the affirmative answer, and is now currently passionately french-kissing his girlfriend, Nanaba.

Levi felt happy for the man, but chose to look away, so that the blond wouldn't catch him staring. He was a little afraid too that he'll notice him there, standing beside a stone pillar like a loser without a person to welcome him home, like everybody else.

Zoe might have completely forgotten, he thinks, as he dragged his belongings and started heading for the exit. Typical of her. He wonders constantly how she even managed to enter medical school in her state of mind. "Yeah, she _definitely_ forgot," He says to himself silently, his throat all dry and his chest beginning to constrict in an ugly manner.

_Or she might have just forgotten about me altogether._

"Levi!"

The voice is so familiar, so distinct, that he wouldn't have needed to turn around to know who it was. Zoe stood there, panting hard, brown hair wild and unkempt. Her glasses were askew, her green scrub suit top leaning over to one side to reveal a part of the Star Trek T-shirt she's wearing underneath. Levi felt like punching himself, or punching someone else, because he could not believe she was _there._ The pathetic thoughts torturing him earlier vanished like soap bubbles in the air as she started walking toward him, face scrunched up, mind torn between the need to smile and the need to cry.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, oh, _Levi_ –" Soon she's running; and he too, toward her, even if he very much would not prefer to do so. He didn't want to look like a kicked puppy who had been offered comfort. When they're close enough to each other, Zoe threw her arms around him quite literally, with no grace, no poise, whatsoever. Levi felt the gunshot wound on his side hurt upon the added weight on his body, but he didn't mind, opting to return her embrace even tighter.

She grew thinner. He could feel her ribs poking about his skin as he hugged her. Was she eating right? Was she sleeping enough? He was about to comment about it but Zoe's laugh cut him off.

"What?" He pulled away slightly, a bit annoyed.

"Nothing," She answered with another chuckle, before tilting her head so that she could give him a kiss.

The world stopped spinning after that. Her lips weren't moist but they were soft against his. He could smell the mint in her mouth, feel the draft of her breath as she distanced herself from him, their kiss not lasting even a second. Affection had just started blooming in his chest – why did she have to pull away? Levi would have questioned her about that, but Zoe put her lips against his cheeks, his cheekbones, his nose, his forehead, and a lot more places until he forgot what he should be angry about.

"Welcome home," After a few more seconds of hugging, she loosened her arms around him, a smile still adorning her face as she looked at him.

"You're still in your scrub suit," He commented evasively, rather than saying something clever about her spit covering his face and neck.

"Yeah, well, I _was_ late!" Zoe chuckled, pulling away completely. The absence of her warmth felt weird. She should have kept holding on to him like how Nanaba did to Mike. "Come on, soldier, let's go home." Her hand shot out to take his luggage, but Levi beat her to it. She chuckled again, and walked with him, side by side.

"I changed residencies, by the way. I got two cats after you left," Hange narrated once they were in a taxi and had muttered the directions. "Don't worry, I cleaned up! I also trained Sonny and Bean how to, you know, poo in a litter box and all that jazz, so you don't have to worry about cat shit lying all over the floor."

"What about the fur? Don't they shed a lot?" Furrowed eyebrows were his reply to her stories. Zoe turned to look at him blankly, before leaning forward to peck him on the cheek. For a second there, Levi thought she was going to kiss him _there_ again _._

She looked at him seriously, and said, "I missed that clean-freak side of yours."

Rolling his eyes, Levi brought his hand up to push Hange's face away. "Shut up."

After that there were stories; more of them. She told him about her shift earlier; about the man who apparently had a pole stuck in him; about Nile Dawk, their asshole of a resident; and about how she almost ran out of the hospital with her lab coat still on. It was enough to last them until they arrived at their destination, and Levi was thankful for that, since he didn't want to share his stories in a place so public.

"Are you hungry? God, I'm really hungry; I haven't eaten since last night! We can eat at the diner across the street – the food is really good there, and the bread is simply fantastic. Or if you don't want to, that's okay, I can heat up some left-overs in the fridge."

Her ramblings are lost in his ears as he surveyed the interior of her new apartment. Off-white are her walls, just like the hospitals she works in, yet the brightness of it all is diminished by the many bookshelves and paintings and frames hung all over. If Zoe was orderly, it was with books – they were alphabetized and probably categorized too, by the looks of it.

A play area for her cats that have yet to make an appearance is at a corner next to the balcony, the toys all gathered in one basket, with a scratch post standing beside it. The living area doesn't have much furniture, just a flat screen T.V. and a couch, and heaps and heaps of pillows of different sizes and shapes scattered among a fury, zebra-pattered carpet. A low, Japanese lacquered wooden table is smacked in between the T.V. and the couch, offering a change among the modernity of the surroundings. Game consoles were there, perhaps another added to the collection since he left, and beside them is a small shelf filled with games, both old and new.

All of her curtains are translucent green, the color soft and pleasing, studded with a pattern of three-leaved clovers. Where the light touched there was a spray of gentle green light, bathing the entire place with a sort of odd coziness. Levi's eyes traveled to the kitchen where Zoe, who was now devouring a slice of cold pizza, stood. Looking at the state of her kitchen, she probably never tried to cook once he had gone, but nevertheless she appeared to have not thrown out the various cooking utensils they purchased together.

"Or do you want to take a shower first? Or a bath? I could prepare it for you," She took another bite from her pizza, then another, until she had eaten it all. "Now that I think about it, this will be the first time I can see you naked in a long time! Did you get ripped? Hey, let me see!"

"Zoe, can you _not_ –" He sighed mentally at her childishness and was about to walk away, but her hands are already upon his shirt, tugging and pulling. Persistent as she is, Levi had no chance of winning. However, upon lifting his shirt up to his abdomen, the brunette stopped, eyes wide at the white patch of gauze at his side.

Levi never thought he'd see her so hurt.

Gently, she touched the material covering his stitches, as if determining the extent of his injury. "It's just a bullet wound," He muttered, not used to the gloomy expression on her face.

" _Just_ a bullet wound? What if that bullet landed here instead?" Hange lifted her gaze right before putting her index finger on his chest, where his heart was supposed to be. "Or here?" She lifted her hand and poked his temple. "I could be staring at a different version of you, now."

"The bullet still landed on my side, and I lived." Reaching for her glasses, the soldier pulled it off of her, rendering her a bit visually impaired. Levi thought about kissing her now, tongue and all, before telling her how much he missed her and how much he hated her for being late, but the little voice inside his head disagreed.

_What if she pulls away, what if she hates you for it, what if she **doesn't** love you back–_

"I came back home alive," He murmured, placing a kiss on her forehead instead of her lips. "Like I promised."

Zoe let out a soft sigh as she wrapped her arms around him again. "Yeah, you did."

Fate is kinder, today.


	3. The Last of Us - II

His dreams were breathtaking again, in the most misleading meaning of the word.

As a soldier he had expected the nightmares. After all the battlefield is unforgiving, and more so the enemy. But what he did not expect was to see Zoe in them – Zoe, the wide-eyed, bright-minded woman who wore a coat of white over a suit of healthy green.

In his dreams, she wore a jacket embroidered with white and black wings. She was a soldier who held two blades and slayed monsters that ate men. She smiles all the same, laughs and rambles all the while, but there is this certain dullness in her eyes that made her look dead, sometimes. Levi thinks it doesn't suit her.

And while on the topic of things that doesn't suit her, let us talk about red.

Red doesn't suit Zoe. Red doesn't match her hands, her face, her half-bitten body. Especially when red is liquid and warm and metallic – that is the worst type of red, because its the one that takes all the important things away.

Levi sat up, palms automatically positioning themselves on his closed eyes, rubbing them, remembering. He couldn't recall what she looked like. Were her eyes open? Did she appeared to be in pain? Everything is a blur to him but her lips – soft as they were cold – cold and unresponsive to his voice, to his declarations of love. _Love._ There it is again.

He had never viewed her like that, ever. Hange is always the friend, the sister, the family figure in his life. Levi treated her like a blood relative – _loved_ her like a blood relative – yet when she kissed him this morning his blood sang differently, much differently. Why was that?

Pulling away from his palms, the soldier swung his legs off the couch, thoughts still muddled. There must be some kind of mistake; some blunder he had overlooked. This was not right. Zoe is his friend, his family, and you don't think of french-kissing your own family, even if it might even feel go—

"Stop." No. Don't ruin this. Zoe is your _only_ special person now.

"You okay?"

Levi looked up, eyes squinted. He shouldn't have pressed his palms on his eyelids too much. "I'm good."

"You look kinda shitty," She grinned. His vision is still a bit blurred, but he knows that expression well. Zoe had emerged from her room, and is currently leaning against the door frame. "Hungry?" A few steps later, the brunette is already beside him, tousle-haired and still smiling. "I have cereal."

"It's two in the afternoon, and you're offering me cereal." When grey eyes finally adjusted, Levi sent her one of his signature blank looks.

"I can't cook, alright? I don't have much stuff in my fridge either. But we can go out! I know a good place. They serve the best lasagna. And those croissants you like so much, they have it in all sizes and flavors."

"You happen to know a lot of restaurants... Its suspicious." Hange laughed at this, glasses sliding down her nose a bit.

"When you left, I've never tried cooking. I had to improvise or else I'd starve to death." Hopping off the couch, Zoe made her way to the kitchen and reached for the fridge handle. "I don't usually invite friends over, but even in those times I do, they don't cook for me like you do. Except for Moblit though; he's a cutie."

An eyebrow rose to such statement. "Who the hell is Moblit?"

"He's a nurse at St. Sina's. Nice guy, great friend." Pulling out a carton of milk, Zoe pulled the top open and downed a few gulps. "As I've said, a cutie."

Standing up himself, the soldier walked over to Hange and snatched the carton from her hand. "I feel sorry for this guy." With a quick motion he tipped the carton too, draining the container some more before handing it back to her. He would have preferred ice-cold water, but Hange doesn't like hers chilled. Opening the fridge to get some would be fruitless.

"Yeah, yeah." Snatching it back, the brunette rolled her eyes and shoved the milk back in the fridge. "So are we going out or what?"

"We're not."

"We're not?" Zoe echoed back, blinking.

"Who's she?" Nodding now to the closed refrigerator door, Levi stared at the solitary picture pinned against it with a heart-shaped magnet. It was a picture of a woman. More precisely, it was a picture of Zoe and a pretty ginger-haired woman. Both were making a face, eyebrows scrunched up and lips curled in a funny manner.

"You don't remember her? That's Petra. Petra Ral. Don't think about hitting on her though, she's already taken – but that's not the point! We're not eating out? Where are we gonna eat?" Waving her hands at him to tear his attention away from Petra's face, Zoe asked again, expression still confused.

"Here. I'm gonna cook. We're buying groceries."

"Oh, what? Today's my day-off and we're gonna go grocery shopping?" With utter disappointment on her face, Hange threw her hands in the air, all in disbelief. "Levi, come on, don't do this to me."

"Don't do what? We need groceries. You ain't got shit in your fridge, and I'm assuming your pantry is just for display. I don't have any things of my own too. We really need to get some stuff bought."

"Okay, maybe we do, but can't we buy that some other time? Tomorrow, maybe? Please? I don't have time, Levi. I only get to see you for thirty days and most of those days I _won't_ be here so – _just_ – not today, okay?"

Pink was turning shade by shade into red. Usually, red didn't suit Zoe, but when it adorned her ears, it looked quite endearing.

"I just arrived today." He said softly. "We have plenty of time."

"You'll be surprised how one month can pass by so fast, believe me." She replied with a sigh. "Please."

"This better not be a fucking excuse for your laziness," With a pointed look, Levi crossed his arms and headed back to the couch. "If you don't want to go grocery shopping, then we might as well not go out."

Slowly, the same, goofy smile began crawling back to Hange's lips.

"I'll go order us some food, then."

* * *

At six-thirty, Zoe had left.

Levi had fallen asleep on the couch again, since they were huddled together in the living room all afternoon playing video games, cartons of food and take-outs encircling their little make-shift nest. At nightfall they began exchanging stories, voices becoming hushed as late night approached.

Zoe had told him a great deal. She had always been open with her feelings, her thoughts more so. He on the other hand, wasn't as vocal as she is – he told her what happened, what he went through, but he didn't give too many hints on the more personal stuff, like what it felt like abandoning an injured soldier to save your own ass. He needn't to say more for her to understand.

"My shift starts at seven tomorrow," She said when it was close to two in the morning. "I won't be home till seven or eight, maybe. You can go ahead and shop for food. I'll pick up a few things myself before I get home."

"I'll cook dinner, so don't eat out." With a small yawn, he replied. "What do you wanna eat?"

"Anything," Zoe giggled softly, her grin still as bright as ever. "Everything Levi-made is good enough for me."

"Be careful what you wish for. I might add in some cat-parts if you're not tactful."

" _Levi!"_ With a silent scandalized voice, the brunette hit him on the arm, reprimanding. The soldier merely snorted at this, ignoring the little slap he received.

"Good night, Zoe."

"I don't want to go to sleep," The doctor muttered, head leaning against the couch's backrest. "I'm tired of doing hospital work."

Levi had both of his eyebrows furrowed. "You can't say that."

"Funny, someone told me the same thing this morning." A chuckle. A hand reaching out to play with black locks. "Alright, you win."

"Go to sleep." He almost wanted to touch her hand and bring it to his lips.

"I will," She smiled, fleeting and beautiful. Soon Levi felt lips pressed to his forehead, arms snaking around his shoulders, bringing his face close to her hair as he sighed, contented. Zoe smelled of the hospital – the clean, crisp, white part of it. Away from red. Away from death.

"I dreamed of you today," He began, cradling her in his arms, body slowly falling down the cushion.

"Don't think about the bad dreams." Another kiss; on his temple. They sank together into the couch, consciousness ebbing away, bit by bit, until there is only the movement of their chests; the sound of their hearts.

* * *

"So."

Slamming down a can of pineapple juice, Levi snapped. "What?"

"There was smooching."

"Just so you know, Mike, I will not hesitate throwing _this_ at you, and every other thing that has metal in it in this bag if you don't shut up."

"Ah, so it wasn't _that_ kind of smooching. The plot thickens even more."

One spinning pineapple juice can hauled across the room later, the talking resumed once more.

"I'm just saying, man. There was even that running thing going on when you two saw each other. But even with that, there's still nothing? Hah, women. I can never understand them."

" _How_ did you even find me?" Bringing his head up from rummaging, Levi gave the other soldier a narrowed glance. He was half done unloading the paper bags, groceries now littering the tables and counter.

"I didn't try. I just took a look outside, wondering what I should do to kill time until Nanaba came home and then I saw you, unloading so much shit off a taxi. Surprise, my friend – my girlfriend and your friend lives in the same apartment building."

" _Great."_ The shorter of the two shook his head, almost throwing the bag of potato chips in the air in an attempt to contain his sarcasm. "Are we going to have double dates from now on?"

"Well, if you can get your friend into a relationship, then we could."

Levi sent him a disgusted look. Mike just laughed, heartily.

"Ahh, nothing like the smell of emotional turmoil in the afternoon."

* * *

"You seem pretty happy today."

"Really?"

"More than usual," Petra smiled, burying her hands into her coat pockets. "Did something good happen?"

"Nothing really," Zoe began, her signature grin returning. "I just had a good night's sleep."

"Lucky you." The ginger patted her on the shoulder, and scooted closer when the elevator doors opened and a few people joined them in the four-cornered space. "How's your friend doing?"

"He's at home, probably cleaning stuff," A chuckle. "I'll introduce you to him sometime. I think you'll like him."

"I'll look forward to it then," A reciprocated smile. "What's he like, though?"

"Hmmm," Hange tapped her chin, eyes on the elevator numbers flashing one by one. "He's tactless and funny. And he's short."

"Short?" Petra blinked, just as the elevator doors opened again.

"Yeah," She laughed, skipping out with the ginger in tow, "Adorably short."

* * *

The next time he saw her, its already ten minutes to midnight.

Levi had prepared dinner, as promised. Roasted potatoes, carrots, beans (he added it in at the last minute so that he could make a joke about her cat) corn and chicken marinated in a secret formula he picked up back in Trost was the menu. Zoe loved hearty meals, so he figured he'd spoil her a bit, but just for this instance. It wasn't healthy to eat so much at night.

He had started preparing at five-thirty in the afternoon, just after he had driven Mike away when he couldn't take any more of the blond's playful jeering. Zoe's cats had made an appearance by then, surprisingly. The little shits were hungry, Levi later found out, when Sonny suddenly jumped up the counter and tried snatching away the chicken he was currently seasoning with salt. After he had very unwillingly fed the felines, they proceeded to play around, tumbling and running around their own territory, their toys now scattered about their small kitty corner.

At seven, supper was ready to be served. Zoe's shift ends at seven, or so he was told. Just in time.

But doctor Hange never arrived at seven. Or eight. Or the following numbers after that. Levi had grown tired of waiting for her when the short arm of the clock hit ten. So when his plate was loaded with food, he plopped on the couch and proceeded to entertain himself with silly reality shows and crappy movies on HBO.

The soldier had hit the showers and later, the bed, when eleven-thirty came. There must have been some kind of emergency in the hospital. Zoe's currently assigned to the ER (as ironic as that is), and as a soldier, Levi didn't have to know what kind of stuff happens in that place. He had been to battle, after all. Nothing is worse than that.

When sleep was just about to suck him in to dreamworld again, there was a soft creaking of a door. Cats were mewling, welcoming. Keys jingled, footsteps peppered the wooden floor. Soon the murmur of a weather report flooded his ears, news of rain and more rain over the weekend filling his consciousness, like a song with a melody he couldn't make out. Levi stirred in his half-asleep state, body soon responding to the clanging of metal and ceramic and to a voice, hushed, but happy.

Zoe was home.

"Was I too loud?" She asked, fork in midair, carrots and beans impaled by the utensil. She was sitting on the carpeted floor, cross-legged, with her bag beside her.

"Yes," Levi replied, stifling a yawn as he came out of his room. "I wasn't really asleep, anyway."

The brunette smiled at him and continued devouring her meal, eyes returning to the television screen. "The chicken is delicious, by the way."

"I know." He sat on couch, next to her, squinting at the screen as well. Apparently there will be some sort of storm coming. Bad weather ahead.

"Sorry I couldn't make it to dinner," Stabbing the remaining potato on her plate, Zoe began again. "The ER was loaded. They needed all the slaves they could get."

He hummed, not really caring about the matter. "I hope you were an efficient slave."

"I am the _best_ slave." He snorted at her confidence, while she grinned. Breaking the potato in to two, the doctor stabbed one part and a piece of chicken before stuffing them in her mouth again, chewing silently, ears and eyes focused on the evening news, before wishing to speak again.

"I want you to meet Petra." She was looking at him now. It confused him for a moment, took him by surprise, even.

"Who?" He knew who it was. He had been meaning to ask 'why' instead, but the word came out different.

"Petra," Zoe shook her head, smiling at his presumed forgetfulness. "Doctor ginger-pants over there. In the picture." She pointed then at her refrigerator.

"I'm not going out with her." His mind was quicker, this time. Back in their high school days, the brunette had always paired him with random girls, whether he liked it or not. She used to tease him before that he'd look less unamused with a pretty girl beside him.

Hange made a face, confused, eyebrows furrowed for a moment before breaking into a chuckle. "I'm not playing match-maker, silly. Didn't I tell you she's with someone else?"

A pause. "Then why are you insisting that I meet her?"

"Because she's with me."

The world stopped spinning again.


	4. The Last of Us - III

She fixes her coat gingerly, her fingers precise when she buttons it up as she goes. Petra wanted to become a neurosurgeon, and Hange thinks no other profession would fit her the most.

"See you tomorrow?" Swinging the strap of her bag to her shoulder, Petra turns back to her companion, smiling. Clamping a rose-patterned umbrella close to her body, she watches the other, as if anticipating a different answer.

"Yeah," Hange smiles back albeit weakly, rubbing the side of her neck. "Be careful on your way."

"You're gonna be okay." Her hands are warm against her cheeks, and she feels like she's standing right beside a fireplace. Zoe smiles a little brighter, her mood lifting a bit higher. And when Petra closes the distance between their lips she's soaring – like a dandelion floating in the summer wind. "Don't worry too much."

Its like magic, the way she does it. Hange squeezes her lover's arm and lets go, her smile widening. "Okay."

The door closed a few seconds later after she said good-bye. Its raining outside, hard and unceasing, coating the entire place with a blanket of gloom and an air of insignificant loneliness. Zoe took a step back to breathe deeply, resting her back on the wall to close her eyes. She had to go home, where Levi would be. Rubbing her face with her hands, she sighed, unable to calm her heart.

What would she say? Well, technically, there is nothing to be said – no explanations needed. She simply slept over her girlfriend's place for the night. Yet, behind the lies she told him the other day, lay the real reason behind her actions: to escape.

Perhaps it was just her, she didn't know. Levi is usually nonchalant about things like same-sex relationships, but why did he seem so distant after she had told him about Petra? Confusing and silly as it is, she had to go back and face him, probably ask him directly of his opinion. She couldn't go on thinking about pretenses.

With another sigh, Zoe walked back to fetch her things, silently wishing a more satisfying answer from Levi to dispel the lingering fears in her mind.

* * *

Its still pouring outside when Hange finally came home.

Her apartment, which is usually cozy, bathed in soft green and golden yellow light in this time of the day, is painted in various shades of gray, just like the clouds outside. There is no sound of a program playing on the T.V, or a game on. The couch is vacant, weirdly, yet the balcony door is wide open, making the curtains sway with the blowing wind.

And there he is. His silhouette is familiar against the glass, and Hange almost exhaled in relief to see that he was there. Levi is crouched down on the tile-decorated floor, his black hair swept back because of the wind. Between the two fingers of his right hand is a cigarette, lit and smoking against the gray, stormy background.

"I thought you quit." Zoe stepped outside, into the balcony, looking down on him. Oddly, he's wearing his uniform, the assorted greens on his camouflage pants now darker against the dim light. Levi said nothing for a while, but he returned her gaze for a brief moment, acknowledging her presence.

"I did." Bringing the cigarette to his lips, he took a long drag, making the tip burn a little brighter. "This is just for today."

Zoe nodded once, uncomfortable. There is a growing weight in her chest, a clawing feeling in her stomach, like she was about to be sick. "Something wrong?"

Levi paused, blowing out the smoke gradually. He doesn't look at her when he starts speaking. "I'm returning to duty today."

"What?" Her heart falls the moment he finished speaking. " _What_ did you say?"

"I got a call last night –" But she's not listening anymore. She stumbles back, back into the living room, her footsteps heavy and uncoordinated. "Zoe," He calls out to her, rising to his feet to follow her, his boots hitting the wooden floor like a drum roll, causing her shoulders to jump. "They're coming... Not long, now."

"Why didn't you call me?" She couldn't even turn to look at him. Her voice is shaky, shocked. "Why didn't you tell me as soon as you knew?"

"I didn't want to disturb you," And she laughs at him, derisive. "Zoe..."

"The war is over," Hange begins bitterly, now finally looking at him. "They promised us a month, not a few days. You can't go. _You can't._ "

Levi watched her, his eyes a darker shade of grey than usual. "I have to. You _know_ that."

Hange scoffed, shaking her head. She could feel the rush of blood to her face and head, making her eyes burn and water faster than she could hide them behind her hands. "I told you – being a soldier was a bad idea. But you never listened, did you? You never did. Now you're just a dog that obeys without question every time your master calls." Turning back, the brunette landed on the cushion with a silent plop, sending a stray pillow bouncing off the couch. She exhaled long, rubbing her palms against closed eyes. "You could have been many things, Levi. Being a soldier _shouldn't_ have been one of them."

"I'm not as well-off as you," He began, joining her on the couch, "And not as smart, as you. I have no parents to send me to med school, like you do. I don't have any special talents to earn myself a decent meal everyday. But there aren't as many requirements needed to enter the Army, and it didn't require a lot of money, either. You know I have no other option."

"You had a choice. There were so many _other_ choices," Zoe looked back at him, separating herself from the comfort of her hands. "So don't tell me that bullshit."

"I'll come home alive," He promises her, but deep inside he's scared that he won't be able to keep it. The call never specified why they were so unduly forced to return to duty – it was labeled as an 'emergency' – no other details were given, sending him wondering, fearing. "I'll come home to you, alive."

That's all he could give her: unsure promises. All uncertain and meaningless when he's out there in the field in the mercy of a sniper's finger, pressed close against a gun's trigger. Zoe blinked back her tears, her chest getting tighter by the passing minute. "Don't make me hang onto words like that, Levi." Because Fate is cruel, and it knows too well how to make hearts bleed.

"I won't," The bitterness in her voice; the hint of resentment in it, sent a jolt of pain through him. "...I won't."

And she pulls him into her arms. Her sob came out softly, all breathy and silent. Levi buried his face against the crook of her neck, drowning himself in her presence because this might just be the last time he would be able to do it. The smell of her hair and the heat of her skin and the feel of her touch against his body – he memorizes it all like a song, so he wouldn't forget the flow of her melody when he's out there so close to death. Zoe's breath hitches in her throat and she lets out a cry, calling out his name in a whisper, tightening her arms around his shoulders as more tears spilled down her cheeks.

"You'll be in my dreams," She began, her voice pained and strained, "The ones where there's no wars to wage or monsters to fight. The happy ones."

And the knock on their door signaled the end.

* * *

Its hot and humid and Zoe thinks bitterly, this would have been a good day to experiment on things.

Except that today, bits and pieces of her comrades are scattered all over the grass like animals butchered for a feast. Whether or not it was a good day to practice science is long lost in her mind now, especially when Levi is lying down on the ground, neck bent and broken, jaw dislocated and tongue lolled out, left shoulder and left arm bitten right off.

Hange stepped closer to examine him. She thinks its funny that the same tongue lying against Levi's parted, blackened purple lips once grazed against hers in a heated kiss.

Adjusting her goggles, she took in a deep breath, smelling rust and acid the air, drowning out the usual fresh and sharp scent of the forest. Before standing up she felt the ground quiver as if in excitement, and for a moment the earth beneath her seemed alive.

Eren made his way toward her, his footsteps heavy as he moved as a titan. The Scouts came in after him, their 3D-maneuver gear whirring as they traversed through the trees. One after another they landed on the grass, feet taking them closer to where she stood, eyes wide, shocked, to see what lay behind her.

Hange felt the wind stir as Eren knelt down, his enormous hand reaching out toward her – or at least, toward her general direction. She knew that he saw _him_ too. But what she did not expect was to see a red scarf falling down from his thick, giant fingers as he scooped Armin and Mikasa's torn bodies up. Hange did not even notice _them_ there beside her beloved, lying on the soil as dead as he is.

The titan brushed his finger against his sister's face, as if trying to nudge her awake. He prodded at Armin's chest as gingerly as he could. When they did not respond, Eren groaned, standing up straight, causing the trees to stir and the ground to tremble once again. Hange could not even bear to look at him any longer as the titan groaned louder and louder, as if calling his sister and his best friend's name out. It has been long since she had cried.

Soon Hange could hear footsteps coming closer to her. The Legion – or what's left of it, advanced, their faces tired, most stricken with grief. Erwin emerged from the flock of green, his eyes more sunken than ever before. He regarded Hange with a simple look, yet he did not touch her, like he feared that the act would hurt her. Blue, lonely eyes traveled down, down toward the earth where Humanity's Strongest lay with his squad – children still, but soldiers all the same. Together they fought, and together, they shared the same fate.

Commander Erwin Smith drew his fist to his chest – to his heart in a salute to honor the dead. All followed him. Hange could only cry harder, and Eren could only growl louder.

Then the earth shook again. Hange did not take her blades out like everybody did.

And the sound of the titans' footsteps signaled the end.

* * *

Levi woke with a start, inhaling deeply as he sat up. The smell of musty wood filled his nostrils, and for a second, he thought he'd sneeze.

"Just a fucking moment!" He snapped. Swinging his legs off the bed, he rubbed a side of his face, willing himself not to punch the person who's knocking this hard so early in the morning as he headed toward his front door, grumbling. Looking through the peep hole, he grunted, before unlocking and opening the door widely.

"Good morning," Hange greeted him with a wry smile, striding right in as she looked at him, amused. "I hope I didn't wake you up."

"Be thankful I didn't punch you the moment I opened the door," He shot back, rolling his eyes. Once the door is secured, he followed her, falling to one of the chairs beside their dining table before yawning. "So?"

"What?" Hange grabbed a bottle of scotch on the table, now half empty. Reaching for a glass, she poured herself some before looking at Levi.

"You went off on your own again, didn't you," Throwing his hands in the air, he sighed in annoyance. "The drop-off was supposed to be done by _us._ Not _you_ only."

"Does it matter? It went off without a hitch. No big deal." Shrugging, she tipped the glass, sipping some alcohol.

"'Without a hitch'?" Levi repeated sarcastically, while motioning all over his jaw. "You call what's on your face, 'without a hitch'?"

Zoe sighed, placing her glass back on the table before absentmindedly rubbing the bruise on her jaw. "I was ambushed on my way back by some assholes. I took care of them. They may have sneaked a hit or two, but nothing too serious." Levi snorted at her reply, standing up and walking toward the kitchen once she finished speaking. "I have news, though. Good news."

"Rations are coming sooner than expected?" Back with a wet towel, he dabbed carefully at the dried blood at the corner of Hange's lips.

"Even better," The brunette grinned, her eyes lighting up. "I got us a job."

Levi paused, quirking an eyebrow at her. "What kind? _"_

"The kind that pays us with guns and ammo," Playfully, she tried to bite the fingers that cleaned the blood off her skin, but Levi is quick to move. "You're not going to like our employer, though."

"If its Nile, I'd rather not take the job." Zoe laughed at his reply, but she shook her head.

"No, its not my asshole of a resident. Its the Scouts."

The name rang in the near empty apartment, making it almost eerie. The Scouting Legion, they called themselves. Fighting for humanity's freedom, fighting for the day when men would rise again to its former glory. The resistance. This was bad news.

"Zoe," Levi shook his head, sighing thoughtfully. "We talked about this. We don't meddle with the Scouts. We don't meddle with _anyone_ that'll cause us trouble."

But she is stubborn, he knew. She'll not take no as an answer. "Its just a simple smuggling job. Hannes wants something sneaked out of the city. And the pay is good – Levi, he showed me the guns. If we could get our hands on that..."

Moving away, Levi strode over to the sink, turning the tap and washing the blood out of the cloth. "I don't care about the guns. You and I – we have survived this long because we chose the ground we walk on. _Wisely._ And right now you are not making a very wise decision, Hange."

"What I'm making is a risky decision. A gamble. People who don't take risks don't survive that long either."

"We take risks when the situation presents itself to us." He shot back, turning back to look at her before wringing the towel and hanging it on a nearby stool to dry. "Have you taken a look outside lately? The military is getting more and more aggressive in hunting the Scouts down. They don't even give a shit if they don't have concrete proof – if they catch even a word of you being involved, they'll drag you right down the street for public execution."

"The situation _is_ presenting itself to us, right now – don't you see? The moment we have those guns we'll never need to take jobs for what, a year? Maybe even two. Ammo is like gold, these days. And all we need to do is smuggle some little thing out of here. Come on, Levi. It's just a simple job. We've done it a dozen times before. Why can't we do it now?"

Levi stared straight at her eyes without saying a word. He had always thought they shone like bronze and gold together – like fire and earth, like passion and madness blended and melded perfectly. It was beautiful, how they twinkled in the light, but it's different, now. Sometimes it scared him how much she had changed after the world ended.

"No," He repeated, crossing his arms. "We're not taking the job."

Hange sighed in defeat, scratching her head as she strode toward the door. "No, no. _You_ are not taking the job."

Panic started to rise in him, like bile and acid up his throat. "Zoe, for fuck's sake – would you stop being such a child? Just let it go. Hannes will find someone else to do it."

"I already said yes to him," She confessed as she undid the locks, turning the knob once she was done. "People are wary of the Scouts, more than ever. He'll have a hard time finding someone who'll do it."

Cursing, Levi pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. "Hange, seriously, who the fuck cares about the Scouts? Since when did you care?"

"I don't _care_ about their 'cause'. I care about what they _promised_ me. Hannes is injured. He's desperate. Desperate men are honest. Nobody just gives away a shit ton of guns like that for a smuggling job. It's a once in a lifetime deal."

"Exactly," Walking toward her, Levi reached for the door to close it, but Zoe relented. "No one does that these days. There _has_ to be some kind of catch."

She must have seen the reason in his arguments, because finally, she released her hold of the door. "Okay," Closing her eyes, she placed her fingers on her temples, thinking for a moment. "Alright, alright. Listen. I will go to Hannes – _wait,_ just fucking listen to me first – I will go to him, and I'll ask him what he's intending me to smuggle –"

"See? He didn't even tell you –"

"We were in a difficult situation; some guys were on our ass, _long_ story – just – would you _please_ shut up for a second!" Gripping him on the shoulders, Zoe shook him, her eyebrows furrowing in light frustration. "I will ask him, and if there is indeed a catch as you say, then I won't take the job."

Levi studied her critically, his lips tugged down in a frown. "...And if there isn't?"

"Then I'd be coming home with a tons of guns and ammo," A smile was her reply to him, dismissing his disapproval.

"No." There was no way out of it. If there was something that never changed in her, it probably was her stubbornness. "You _and_ I will be coming home with tons of guns and ammo."

* * *

First, it was fever.

Once bitten, the body responds as it would when you're hit by seasonal flu. After the fever, comes chills, and then there's seizures when the fungus takes a hold of the nervous system. And then, you die – at least, the human part of you does.

And that was how the world ended.

Levi had not realized the Apocalypse was starting when he left Zoe to serve his country once more. Zoe had not realized either, when she went to work the next day and simply thought she had been given an unusual case.

But when countries started falling, Levi knew he had to come home to her before it was too late. She is his only refuge, his only family. If all of humanity was to perish, he'd at least want to spend his remaining days with her. Except that twenty years later, he did not die; neither did she. They endured and survived like trees of old – persisted, just like the fungi that brought humanity to its knees.

They were partners. They always were, since childhood. When Levi wielded a blade, Zoe became his shield. When Zoe aimed a gun, Levi watched her back. Alone they were vulnerable, but together, they were invincible.

"Through here," Zoe guided him into a room. They have traveled through a few streets, including the underground tunnel where there used to be a train station. Once they escaped past a few infected, they went through a couple more of streets and into a house or two, and then in an apartment building. The Scouts hid themselves well, he had to give them that. After looking through the window to check if anybody was around, Hange walked up to a wooden closet and knocked on it five times, before raising her hand up to stop him. He wondered how she became so resourceful. He knew half of the entrances and exits to other camps while she probably could draw a map where every known passage to every spot in the city could be found.

Not a minute had passed when the closet door opened. Curiously, Levi peered closer, while Hange opened both the wooden doors and pushed the various clothes aside. There another door – disguised as the back of the closet – was open, revealing a boy who then motioned for them to come in before scurrying away.

Once through the secret passage, Levi found himself in another room. It was simple and tattered, just like everything man-made. The paint on the walls was washed out and chipped, the wood rotting in some parts. Sunlight flowed right in like water, shades of yellow and orange spilling in and coloring the walls with warmth making the sight all the more sad, like he was looking at something long forgotten.

There was a bed in a corner, and on it sat Hannes, a member of the Scouting Legion. As Hange said, he was injured – a splint on his arm decorated his form, and there was a paleness to his skin, like he had recently lost a lot of blood.

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming," The blond man commented, flashing a grin, albeit weak. Hange returned the gesture, nodding in recognition.

"Well, we got hold up on the way here. The tunnels are infested with the infected. Won't hurt to be too careful, y'know." She answered, sparing his injured arm a glance. "But before anything else, I wanna know what we're risking our asses for. You really didn't have the chance to tell me, and I got too excited at the mention of ammunition. So," Shrugging and averting her eyes to look at him directly, Zoe put on a more serious face. "Let's see it."

Hannes stared at her for a few more seconds before heaving out a sigh. Then, he looked at the boy sitting on a stool beside the window – the very one who opened the door for them.

Zoe furrowed her eyebrows, confused for a moment, but Levi was quicker than her to comprehend.

"Are you telling me we have to smuggle _this_ boy out of the city?" Levi's tone was incredulous. Hannes looked like he had expected the argument. "Fuck no. You can find someone else to do the job."

"Levi," Zoe turned to him, her eyes narrowed. "Wait –"

"See?" This time, it was the boy's turn to speak. "Hannes, I told you they'll never agree. Why can't you just come with me instead? We can take Erd and Gunter with us -"

" _Eren,"_ Hannes interrupted the brunet sharply, his tone commanding. "I told you dozens of times already. I cannot travel. I already sent out the remaining Scouts with us. Just – just let me speak, boy."

For a moment there was silence, as both of the parties did not speak.

"Zoe," Hannes began, his voice a little hoarse, "I've known you before the Fall. I was nothing but a lowly guard in St. Sina's, while you were the brightest intern of your batch. People saw a greatness in you. You were destined for many things. Yet you remained humble."

"That was a long, long time ago, Hannes." But that brought a smile to Hange's lips. "The flattery of dead men don't matter to me."

"But I am not dead yet," He too, let a smile graze his own, making the corner of his eyes crinkle. "Zoe, I asked you to take this job, because I knew you would understand." The blond man then looked over at the boy, Eren, before nodding. "I want you to look at him, and tell me you'd take him to Trost, safely."

All eyes were on the brunet now. He didn't move for a moment, as if hesitant – only another word from Hannes made him roll up one of his sleeves, checkered cloth folded messily up to the teen's elbow. Eren held his arm forward, slightly tanned skin showing something that made Levi draw his gun and aim it on the boy's head.

" _Oh my god_ ," Breathlessly, Zoe stared, wide eyed. She didn't even had the sense of stopping her companion from pointing a gun at the kid.

"Please, listen to me for a moment before you pull the trigger," Hannes raised his hand, blue eyes at the weapon Levi was holding. "Eren was bitten three weeks ago. _Three_ _weeks_ – imagine that. For all I know, once you get bitten, you've got a few hours at most."

"That's – That's _impossible,"_ Hange shook her head, disbelieving, but her feet took her closer to the teen, her curiosity rising. "I've seen people get bitten and turn right before my eyes – children! This is impossible, this is..."

"Zoe," For the first time in a while, Levi spoke, his tone urgent and commanding. "What are you doing?"

Hange took Eren's bitten arm into her hands, pulling it closer to her face, eyes widening behind her gritty glasses. The bite wound didn't exactly heal completely, since the fungus obviously grew on the site of entry, but, it didn't damage any of he surrounding area. Chewing on her lip, she ran a finger along the crusty, hardened skin, where the Infected's teeth might have sunk into, studying it carefully. This is...

"You know what this means." Hannes' voice sounded nervous, for some reason. "Bring Eren to Trost. The town library will be your rendezvous point. The Scouts will meet you there. Tonight, at midnight."

The old man's certainty made Levi more irritable than he already is. "And what exactly makes you think we'll take the job?"

Hannes simply looked at Hange, his gaze unusually grave. Levi waited for her to back him up, but there came none.

For the first time in his life, he hated Zoe for being quiet.

* * *

The gun is heavy and icy in his hand, but he could not let go of it; he could not bring the barrel away from his temple, because Zoe is doing the same.

Her hands are shaking, fingers feeble against the weight of the metal. For a moment, he doesn't remember why they were standing in the middle of the road, a pistol each aimed on their heads while a stolen car hummed beside them, the engine running still. But when the first bomb hit Shiganshina, it all came rushing back to him.

_When you jump, I jump._

She began crying. She shut her eyes tightly, her finger pressed close to the trigger.

"Zoe," His voice was broken, like his heart. Levi thinks of telling her his feelings before they died, but he remembered suddenly that Petra had only turned today. A wave of jealousy, hurt, and shame passed through him, but he chose not to speak any further. His heart wasn't the only one broken.

Another bomb landed, making the earth shake. They had to pull the trigger now.

"Remember me." We'll meet again in the next world, and maybe there, things will be better. Levi closed his eyes, putting his finger on the trigger, his muscles crying out in protest. Put the gun away, put the gun away. " _Don't_ forget about me." But he's so in love, so deeply in love, that it didn't matter that Zoe wished to die because her beloved had died. It didn't matter that she didn't love him back. When you jump, I jump. You are all that matters to me in this ending world.

Another bomb landed. The air started turning into wind, slowly getting flavored with smoke.

"I _can't_ do it," She said after what seemed like years, her voice breathy and barely audible. Guiding the pistol away from his head, she took it from him, making him open his eyes again. "What am I doing?" Zoe sobbed, her eyelids swollen and red. "What am I making _you_ do? You are the only one I have left, and I... I – _oh god_ , what was I –"

Another bomb fell, dangerously close to where they were, but that didn't make him stop from kissing her.

_(This is not the dream that I wanted for us to be in.)_

When he pulled away, she was wearing her usual glasses but she wore a cloak of green decorated with splattered red. He tore his eyes away from her and saw that he was one step away from plummeting to the ground from a tower.

"When you jump," Zoe was crying, but she was smiling. "I jump."

Levi woke with a start, his lungs expanding quickly as he settled back to consciousness, limbs uncoordinated for a moment as he sat himself up from the sofa. The smell of rain filled his nostrils, eyes drinking in the dim-lit room. This room was unfamiliar. Where was he?

"I hate bad dreams." Eren was near the window, hugging his knees as he sat on a tattered chair. "Its as if the world we live in isn't bad enough."

Right. They had taken the job. He almost forgot. Zoe had led them to a hideout nearer to the borders, so their trip to Trost would be faster. "What do you know about bad dreams?" Thick with sarcasm, he settled back to the sofa, sighing as his head hit the musty cushion.

Eren said nothing for a while, returning his gaze outside. The soldiers were beginning to patrol the streets. "More that you'll ever know, old man."


End file.
